Traditional backup and archival software transforms source data into a non-filesystem format data that is suitable for long term storage. There are a number of reasons for this, including backup storage media is often sequential in nature and therefore can't easily support the random access requirements of most source data formats, large numbers of source files can be condensed into a single file that is easier to manage, and backup sets often span across multiple removable media tapes or cartridges. With the advent of disk based backups these requirements have become less important, yet these long term storage formats persist. Typically, recovery of files in the non-filesystem format requires the use of a proprietary recovery client.
In the field of computer hardware and software technology, a virtual machine is a software implementation of a machine, such as a computer, that executes program instructions like a real machine. Virtual machine technology allows for sharing, between multiple virtual machines, the physical resources underlying the virtual machines. Typically, in virtual machine environments, an individual agent is required for each virtual machine. The agent provides a data utility with access to the contents of the virtual machine. However, because there are a number of virtual machine vendors, each agent typically comprises proprietary software module and proprietary software tools. Moreover, the shear number of agents can be burdensome to system operators.